REVDANS

1 John 4:11-12 NIV Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Okay, I’m going to meddle. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a part of a church or regularly attending church meetings. I have been serving in ministry for almost 39 years now. I have heard the horror stories of those who have been hurt by someone or ones in churches or by those claiming to be Christians. My parents were hurt, my father left the ministry altogether and even put aside attending church for a while, we children were hurt by the misunderstandings that resulted, family and friends have been hurt, I have been hurt as a pastor-accused of motives I didn’t even know I had or actions I can’t remember doing, people who find out I am a pastor often tell unsolicited stories of hurt and pain caused by churches and Christians. I’m not sure a Christian or church attender alive can testify to a pain-free, hurt-free experience with church.

It’s a wonder, given this reality, that more people don’t give up on church. It’s a wonder, given my experience in ministry, that I haven’t followed the steps of my father. It’s a wonder that people keep coming back for more. But, although the reality may fall short at times, the ideal is still powerful and compelling. As I mentioned before, the word “love” is a powerful word and the thought of feeling and expressing love a compelling force in our lives. The motivation to love fellow Christians is found in the experience of God’s love, a love so deep, so profound, so overwhelming that it changes us and drives our desire to love. Even though we haven’t seen God, we can experience his love and what that love does in changing our lives. If his love resides in us, we can be sure he dwells in us and we can count on that love reaching its goal in our lives.

I’m glad I didn’t give up on God or his people. I’m glad I have stayed in the ministry and sought to learn to love and forgive. I’m thankful that my children are active in church, serving the Lord. I’m thankful that their children are being raised to love the Lord and his church. I know that they have and will experience challenges to that love, but I am praying that they will persevere and never give up on God or his people.

Burdick explains: The fact of God’s matchless love lays upon us a continuing obligation (Greek present tense) to be loving one another. Not only is it true that we have received the nature of God by reason of our new birth and thus we should love, but we have the example of His love teaching us and persuading us to love each other. [Burdick, Epistles of John, 74.]

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1John 4:7-12)

Love is a powerful word, and it permeates this section of John’s letter. In the next 17 verses some form of the word “love” occurs 35 times out of the 43 times in the entire letter. Obviously, John thought love was important, especially in his focus here. By encouraging us to love one another (fellow Christians), he is not discouraging or discounting love for others, i.e. people in general, enemies, or those who may abuse us. My grandma said, “Love begins at home,” and that is what I believe John is saying. It’s always easier to love our enemies from a distance than to love our family members who irritate, infuriate and sometimes exasperate us. Family is so close that they invariable rub us the wrong way. Again, I remind us that love is an action word and requires expression in tangible ways to validate its existence in our lives.

God is love. Love is an attribute of God’s character which is displayed in his mercy and grace. Because God is the source of love, the person who has a vital connection and real relationship with God cannot remain unaffected by love or refuse to share love. Love is a result of this relationship, not the cause of it. If we don’t show that we have been affected by God’s love, we cannot support the claim of knowing him. Now, if anyone were to ask me to describe this love, I would simply point to a place where it has been so adequately and thoroughly described that it has become synonymous with love, 1 Corinthians 13.

John puts love in perspective in this passage. He points back to the greatest expression of God’s love ever presented, the gift of his Son. This is the God who “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten (one and only) Son.” You want to know what real love looks like, look at Jesus and his expression of love. You want to know what love means, look at the result: we have eternal life through him. “That whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting live” is the greatest possible gift we could receive. It’s easy to love when love is presented to us first. When someone reaches out, it’s easy to return the favor. But we didn’t reach out to God, he reached out to us. He loved first, and our love is only a response to the love he has offered and has enabled us to offer.

Now I am not implying that I have special access to CIA files or Presidential Counsel. I am not scouring the country trying to gather the latest secrets behind political maneuvering, congressional decisions, or military proposals. I am simply declaring that there may be more to what is happening in our world than we are aware or than it may be possible for us to know.

I take this position based on Biblical teachings concerning spiritual warfare and I also postulate that unless we take the Biblical data into account we will not be able to handle what seems to be a barrage of conflicting and confusing information. Although we may not have enough information to completely make sense of current events, we will be able to resolve in our minds what is happening and come to terms with our role in the scheme of things.

First, the Apostle Paul talks with the Ephesians about the battle that is raging in their world and ours. He tells them that the wrangling and wrestling is not between people alone; we are waging a spiritual battle – not with “flesh and blood” but against spiritual forces.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)

Some see in this verse a hierarchy of spiritual authority, each given charge by Satan of certain areas. This may be true. However, what must garner our attention here is the pervasiveness and exceeding power of forces at work in the invisible realm that affects ours. “Cosmic powers” ought to catch our immediate attention and sober us to realize that on a daily basis we face spiritual battles against a powerful, organized and pervasive network of dark spiritual forces seeking to destroy us.

Why are we surprised at the stubborn resistance to reason and diplomacy from a Putin or Kim or Admenajab? Why do these world leaders seem bent on domination, subjugation, and violence? Could the answer lie in the spiritual forces behind the scenes, working in them to harden their hearts to the truth, to their neighbors, to their own people?

Why are we surprised when we hear stories in our own locale of people who seem to become possessed with evil and do unspeakable acts, and those around them who thought they knew them left in shock, shaking their heads and wondering why? Why are we shocked when pastors in the public eye become moral failures after preaching and standing against the very behavior they then commit? We who know human nature, that “man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7) and that the “heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9), should not be surprised at what people are capable of doing. We who know that there are real evil spiritual forces (Satan and fallen angels) at work should not be surprised at the depth and breadth of evil in our world.

This is not a time to become fearful and reticent at this point. We must remember that God has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Christ, Colossians 2:15 ESV). We are “more than conquerors.” So, we just need to remind ourselves that, when we are confused, perplexed, or dismayed at what we see taking place, we must not be overwhelmed, but sober, understanding that there is more to what we see than what we see.

Daniel the prophet was given great insights into his times and those to follow him. On one occasion he was mourning and praying for three weeks. A heavenly messenger appeared to him to explain the vision and the circumstances that had prevented him from coming earlier.

 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” (Daniel 10:12-14 ESV)

This passage rolls back a spiritual curtain and allows us to get a glimpse of what happens on a higher plane in the course of world events. The heavenly messenger tells Daniel that he was detained by the “prince of the kingdom of Persia”, whom I believe we are to understand as a spiritual being influencing the events in Persia. Although he had been dispatched to appear before Daniel, he had encountered a spiritual conflict and waged spiritual warfare, which had detained him from his appointed task. “Cosmic forces” are at work. “Cosmic forces” are holding back answered prayer. “Cosmic forces” are influencing the events taking place on earth. “Cosmic forces” that still exist and still work to influence and still hold back answered prayer must be acknowledged, if we are to gain an understanding of the bewildering events of our times.

What can we do? We can do what the Apostle Paul instructs:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11 ESV)

1 Chronicles 12:32 HCSB From the Issacharites, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

As I was thinking about the tremendous need for discernment in today’s world, I thought of the mighty men who surrounded David, the man would become king over Israel. In 1 Chronicles 12, a chapter describing those mighty men and their exploits, we find a description of the leaders of the tribe of Issachar. We are told that they understood the times. They had discernment, they knew how to read the times and the culture, they could, you might say, test the spirits. Because they understood the times in which they lived, they knew what Israel should do. They could provide solid leadership, because they had understanding.

One would think that this quality would not seem so outstanding as to merit special commendation. However, just like common sense, it seems understanding isn’t so common. Think about what Moses told the generation of Israelites about to enter the promised land. It’s the same thing God told Isaiah (Isaiah 6) and Jesus, quoting Isaiah, told his generation.

Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land. You saw with your own eyes the great trials and those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.(Deuteronomy 29:2-4)

Having ears and eyes does not assure that we gather, process and understand the information that is presented to us. Understanding spiritual issues demands spiritual enlightenment and discernment that only the Spirit of God can give. Obviously, the children of Israel had seen and heard what had happened in Egypt and beyond that in the wilderness, but it had not penetrated their thinking and impacted their lives. They were not “transformed by the renewing of their minds” (Romans 12:2), but instead, were continually pressured to conform to the thinking of this world. Having eyes to see they do not see and ears to hear they do not hear.

It is truly sad that those who had seen so much and experienced so much of the power of God displayed before their very eyes had never truly “gotten it.” Their parents hadn’t “gotten it” either. Although they had experienced those things as well, they constantly questioned God, doubted his word, murmured and complained about their situation, blamed Moses (and God) for their miserable condition, and died in the wilderness in unbelief. It’s hard to imagine any generation being given so many reasons to believe having so little faith (or so great an unbelief). I wonder if any of us can see parallels to our day and see any similarities to our situation.

So, maybe spiritual discernment, an ability to understand the times and know what should be done, is a rare, yet necessary quality in times like these. The Apostle John has already mentioned in his first epistle that we have the necessary resources to provide the spiritual discernment we need. We have the truth of God’s Word and the Spirit of truth to guide us. We have an anointing that teaches us about everything and it is true and not a lie (1 John 2:27). He will help us see with the eyes of faith (“we walk by faith, not by sight”) and hear with the ears of faith (“faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”). The more we depend on God’s resources and the less we fall back to man’s, the more likely we are to see the truth clearly and the less likely we will be deceived.

1 John 4:1-3 ESV Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

It should come as no surprise that we live in a world of deception and deceivers. From dirty politicians to conniving lawyers, shady salespeople, scheming telemarketers, misguided media personalities, misinformed journalists, greedy retail spokespersons, so-called friends, and even immoral preachers, someone always seems to have a message to present that will persuade us to act in a certain way, support a certain cause, spend our money for a certain reason, or believe certain information or principles. It is especially true that deception is more widespread and prevalent today than it has been. Why? Because of the forms of communication that control the flow of information, it is easier to deceive, easier to spread deception, and easier to mask or distort the truth. For instance, because of the internet, more people can easily and cheaply present their message without having to verify their facts or information. Because of the media, fictional scenes can be contrived to seem so realistic that all but the most perceptive can be fooled. Because of the impersonal nature of all of these means of communication, we are rarely able to know the persons who do the communicating: their concern for accuracy, their commitment to the truth, their motivation for communicating, their concern for people, or anything else important about them. If there has ever been a time for testing the spirits, it is in this generation. 

John has already addressed this subject of deception in 1 John 2:18-27. Now he comes back to it to explain what we must do, know, and expect.

WHAT WE MUST DO: Test the spirits. We might call this “spiritual discernment.” It applies to all communication that comes our way, but is especially directed toward communication of a spiritual nature about spiritual doctrine or spiritual principles or spiritual truth. The spiritual is more important, because of eternal life and death issues involved. If I am deceived about a certain investment opportunity, I might lose some money because of a bad investment. If I am deceived about how to be saved, I stand to lose eternal life. Which is more important to lose my possessions, my fortune, even my life, or to lose my soul eternally? When anyone has a spiritual experience to share, a spiritual lesson to apply, a spiritual truth or principle to teach, we must ask ourselves what spirit is motivating, energizing, encouraging, and enlightening them (the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit). Just because a person seems genuine or sincere, doesn’t mean that they can’t be deceived or deceive others. I have known people who were genuinely sincere and sincerely wrong. The reason we must exercise caution, restraint, and discernment is because many are trying to deceive (“many false prophets have gone out into the world”) in the world today. They have taken their message to the airways and the unperceptive and undiscerning are duped.

WHAT WE MUST KNOW: Apply the Christological test. Every cult and distortion of Christianity may have different idiosyncrasies and strange ideas, but all share one major flaw. They all distort, confuse, or deny the truth about Jesus Christ. Even this name points us to the truth. His earthly father and mother were instructed to call him Jesus. This name points to his human nature and his mission as the Savior of mankind. When I was a child, I thought that Christ was the last name of Jesus (like Daniel SHAPLEY). I soon discovered that Christ is his title. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. This speaks of his divine nature. He is the creator of all things, the sustainer of all things, the one who was with God in the beginning and who was God. You must believe that Jesus IS the Christ (1 John 5:1) and you must believe that he HAS COME in the flesh (1 John 4:2). This is the clear testimony of Scripture, Jesus is truly God and truly man. As God, he came into this world without sin and committed no sin. Therefore, he could give his perfect life as a sacrifice without blemish for us imperfect and sinful humans. As a man, he could identify with our weaknesses and frailties, and become a merciful, compassionate and legitimate substitute for sinful humans. Look at the teachings and gauge them according to the Bible. If what they teach about Christ matches what the Bible affirms about him, they are teaching the truth. If not, reject them quickly and flee back to the truth.

WHAT WE MUST EXPECT: The spirit of ANTICHRIST is at work in the world. Even Satan seeks to present himself as an angel of light and so do his demons. We must not be shocked or surprised by what we see happening in the world. The world system has never acknowledged God or adopted his ways. If you were of the world, the world would love you, for the world loves it own, those who follow its ways. Christians have always been ridiculed, mocked, ignored, and even persecuted because we have determined to follow God, causing us to run counter to the culture, whatever that culture may express. We believe in the gospel and have confidence that it is the power of God unto salvation, but we also know the the power of sin, sinful human nature, and a godless system. Therefore, we must keep our guard up, testing the spirits, discerning the truth amid the deception, lies, and cover-ups.

1 John 3:21-24 ESV  21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

I maintain that prayer is one of the greatest mysteries in the universe. At its simplest, prayer is having a conversation with God. At its deepest level we are challenged to dig into an understanding of such theological concepts as God’s sovereignty (God’s control and rule over his universe) and human freedom. For instance, while reading and preaching on the life of Elijah, I was pondering why Elijah had to go and pray for rain at the end of 1 Kings 18, when earlier he had been instructed to go to King Ahab because he was going to send rain. Now, if God has already determined he is going to do something, why do we need to pray about it (seven times in fact!)? In Daniel 9, the prophet Daniel was reading the writings of Jeremiah and understood that the desolation of Jerusalem and the captivity would last seventy years. He immediately began to pray, asking forgiveness for the people and pleading with God to act and not delay in ending the captivity. I have concluded from my study at this time (because there is always more to learn) that God has a plan but he wants us to enter into partnership with him through prayer. If we know his will and we pray according to that will, asking him to do what he has intended or promised, we show that we believe what he has said and we are depending on him to do what he has promised. What is your thinking here?

In this passage in 1 John, we find that confidence in prayer begins by dealing with a condemning heart. We discussed in the last post that a condemning heart leads to a lack of assurance. When we do what is necessary to clear the conscience and assure the heart, we can then have unimpeded access to the throne of grace. Having confidence before God is similar to what the author of Hebrews is talking about when he says that we can come boldly before the throne of grace to find grace and mercy to help in time of need. Like the confidence a child has when approaching a loving parent, we feel no restraint or constraint to our fellowship with God. We feel confident that we are right with him and we can come before him and make our requests freely, knowing that he cares about our needs and will do what is best. We trust his answer (yes, no, or wait), and we trust his help.

Confidence of answered prayer also depends upon obeying his commands and doing what pleases him. These two are not necessarily the same. Doing what pleases him goes beyond just obeying his commands. Out of love and respect, we seek to honor him with our lives, words, and deeds. Just as a child seeks to find ways to please parents, so we search for ways to express our love, gratitude, and desire to honor him, not just doing what he says, but finding what we can do to bring him joy and pleasure. Of course, we have already discussed that obedience is a main evidence that we have a relationship with God. John, as an older pastor should, repeats himself for emphasis. One final assurance that we have a relationship with God is the presence and activity of the Spirit in our lives. Confidence is a huge benefit to our spiritual life and walk with God. We should always seek to have it and pursue it. Its not pride or presumption. It is simply an inner assurance that we are right with God and we can trust him.

1 John 3:19-24 ESV  By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

I am always saddened when I encounter a Christian who has little or no assurance of salvation. The doubts, fears, and anxieties experienced by these sincere people are often overwhelming and self-defeating. How blessed it is to know that you have eternal life. And the great truth is that you CAN know. One thing we need is reinforcement of the truth that can “reassure our heart.” Sound biblical teaching will combat the lies that we tell ourselves which cause confusion and doubt in our walk with Christ. I think that most of us (if not all) can identify with the experience that John mentions here: “whenever our heart condemns us.” It is during those times that we begin to question our relationship with God. What causes our heart to condemn us?

Let’s review what John has said about “how we know” that we truly have a relationship with God through Christ.

1. We respond by obeying (2:3)
2. We live by his example (2:6)
3. We live in love (2:10)
4. We do not love the world (2:15)
5. We remain in sound doctrine (2:24)
6. We live in righteousness (2:24)
7. The world rejects us (3:1)
8. We have a decisive break with sin (3:6, 9, 10)
9. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ (3:14)

When we fail in any of these areas, we can expect our heart to condemn us. We know what God expects, we know how we should live, and our conscience will not allow us to violate those standards without causing us to feel the disappointment and anguish of our failure. We think that failure is final, but God’s Word tells us that it is not (1:9). “Setting our hearts at rest in his presence” is the way the TNIV translation puts it. So, when we have hearts that condemn us, how do set our hearts at rest?

GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS AND HE KNOWS ALL – Sometimes we fail in what we know to do and sometimes we feel that we have failed (we have failed in our eyes) when we may not have failed in God’s eyes. God is greater than our heart. He can help us, he can enable us, he can empower us to overcome.

God, the final Arbitrator, knows our hearts better than we ourselves. God is able to judge because he is all-knowing. His omniscience strengthens and encourages us, but it also challenges us, for we know that he knows everything and will require an accounting of service done on his behalf. – The New American Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John

If we but put our trust in God and his faithfulness and live in his power by his grace to do his will we will never be put to shame and we can live in confidence. If we fail and our heart condemns us, let’s fall to our knees in humble repentance and confess our sins, allowing his forgiveness to wash over us and give us confidence to continue the journey.

1 John 3:16-18 ESV 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

BY THIS WE KNOW LOVE – The loving sacrifice of our Savior is the proof of his love. In the Bible love is an action word, not an emotion word. Love has to reveal itself in action to show that it is real. Many talk about love, many say they feel love, but few are willing to pay the price to love in actions, in deeds. We who follow Christ must be ready to follow his example. Our rights, our desires, our demands are what concern us. When we are offended, we want to lash back. When we are mocked or ridiculed, we want to snap back. When we are hurt, we want to inflict pain. These are NOT the acts that reveal love. We must be ready to lay down our lives for our fellow believers. Whatever discomfort, pain, or loss we endure will be more than compensated in the future.

John illustrates the very practical and concrete nature of biblical love. Seeing a brother in need and closing our heart to it is a failure to love. Love expresses itself in actions. Loving in deed and in truth means that we must respond in loving ways to those in need. We cannot just ignore the need and pretend that it doesn’t exist or that we are not responsible to offer help. We have spoken of the value of asking ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” Well, in this situation what would Jesus do? When confronted with need, he never turned a deaf ear, a blind eye, or a cold shoulder. He always responded. He didn’t always work in ways that the seekers expected, but he never ignored them or their need either. He always took them seriously. When the man at the temple who had been lame from birth asked Peter and John for alms, he expected them to give him some money. After they had his full attention, they spoke to him with an unexpected “I have no silver and I have no gold, but what I do have I give to you.” The man was told to rise and walk in the name of Jesus and when he responded in faith, he left with no money but no need to beg for it either. He was walking away shouting (Acts 3). God does not expect us to give what we cannot, to do what we cannot. He expects us to respond in love by doing what we can. He will do the rest. The person who loves others will always leave wanting to do more, feeling enough was not done, but knowing that all that could be done was done. God expects no more and no less. Love demands no more and no less.

1 John 3:10b-15 HCSB Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, • brothers , if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

As we saw in the previous post, moral conduct is an essential test of a person’s spiritual heritage. The last part of verse 10 ties a failure to love with a failure to do what is right. As Plummer notes in his commentary, “Love is righteousness in relation to others” (Plummer, Epistles of S. John, 128). And that is how John moves from discussing what it means to live in a right relationship with God to loving others. No one can be right with God without love for others.

He draws on the Old Testament story of the first murderer, Cain, for an illustration. Cain failed to have faith and please God with the offering of his sacrifice. He was jealous of his brother Abel and developed a hatred for him because God had respect for Abel’s offering. God himself warns Cain:

“Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7 ESV)

He allowed sin to take control and, in a moment of temptation and opportunity, took his brother’s life. The word that John uses for murder is one that points to its brutality and violence. He thought, as so many still do, that if you get rid of the person who is irritating you (by doing right or experiencing success), that you will solve your problem. We should not be surprised when the world hates us, because our lifestyle stands in stark contrast to its ways. By offering a constant witness against its evil ways, we invite its ire. We should not be surprised by the statement that the presence of love in our lives is one witness to our new life. We should not be surprised by the statement that the one who hates is a murderer. Jesus deals with the heart of murder in his sermon on the mount. He says:

    “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21-22 ESV)

Let our attitude be one of love rather than hatted.

1 John 3:7-10 HCSB Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. This is how God’s children —and the Devil’s children—are made evident.

Dear Fellowship of the Burning Heart:

The Bible never gives us the impression that we can live any way we choose and enjoy the benefits and blessings of salvation. In fact, to continue to live in rebellion to God and his Word is to reveal that we know nothing of that salvation.

THE NATURE OF SIN – Righteousness imputed and imparted produces right living. “Pretty is as pretty does,” my grandmother often said and it was repeated by my parents. How you live reveals what is in you. Those who continue in sin reveal the source of that behavior. It is not of God. It is of the devil, and they are children of the devil. Jesus called some of the religious leaders of his day children of the devil. “You are of your father, the devil. He was a liar from the beginning.” They are “of the devil” because they act like him. They follow his ways. We cannot play with sin, toy with sin, permit sin, excuse sin, or ignore sin. John makes it very clear: you are God’s children or the devil’s children and your life is the witness that reveals the truth about your family orientation.

THE NATURE OF CHRIST’S WORK – The purpose of his work can be summed up in the statement: he came to destroy the works of the Devil. He came because of sin, to pay for sin, to pardon and forgive sin, and to empower victory over sin. The most common deception that contemporary Christianity has embraced is the view that God’s grace permits, possibly even encourages, Christians to continue to sin without thought or concern. It’s covered, it’s taken care of, they say. “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?” Paul asks in Romans 6:1. He responds, “NO WAY!” (loose, but accurate translation). He further asks in Romans 6:15, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Again, “NO WAY!”

THE NATURE OF GOD’S SEED – Someone I was reading said that many commentators are puzzled by the identification of this seed. Is it the Word of God, for James says that we are to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21)? Peter tells believers that they “have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23 ESV). Some think that this seed may refer to the Holy Spirit. The word “seed” is pregnant with theological meaning, woven throughout the Scriptures beginning in Genesis 3:15. There we find this prophecy:

 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

Throughout the Old Testament we see this term reappearing and it becomes obvious that this seed finds ultimate fulfilment in the Messiah. It may be that the term “seed” generally refers to what God has done to make us his children.

HE IS NOT ABLE TO SIN – Hiebert writes: “John insists that the believer’s inability to continue in the practice of sin is due to the fact that he has been born of God.… It is a moral incompatibility between the believer’s old and new nature” (Hiebert, Epistles of John, 148). It is important to realize that John is driving home the point that practicing sin and abiding in Christ are totally incompatible. Before we became Christians sinning was the “natural” activity of our lives. Now that we have been born again, it is “unnatural” behavior. We must not seek to minimize, soften, or undermine the force of these words. We must renew our commitment to forsake sin and follow the Savior.